The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, and more specifically, to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus with an improved mechanism for holding a transmitter-receiver coil.
When applying magnetic resonance to the diagnosis of a human disease, a subject is placed in a uniform magnetostatic field, a gradient magnetic field is superposed on the uniform magnetostatic field, and an exciting magnetic field is then applied to produce a magnetic resonance phenomenon. A magnetic resonance signal emitted from the subject is detected, and information concerning the projected area of the subject is obtained. Image information concerning at least one of the proton densities and relaxation time constants of the specific atomic nucleus of the subject can be obtained by subjecting the projected area information to image reconstruction processing. A diagnosis is made on the basis of this image information.
In a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, a circular surface coil, used as a transmitter-receiver coil, is disposed on the surface of the subject. The exciting magnetic field is produced by the circular surface coil, and the magnetic resonance signal is also detected by the circular surface coil.
In order to dispose the circular surface coil on the surface of the subject, the circular surface coil is maintained on the subject by an adhesive tape or fastened by a band. Accordingly, preparing a diagnosis requires much time and effort, and the subject feels greatly inconvenienced by the attached coil. Moreover, it is very difficult to move the circular surface coil in three-dimensional space when using an adhesive tape or band.